2017 NBA Off-Season

[Pugz]

might as well start this up.

will barton declines extension and will be free agent

 

[Hurricane Season]

I don't think I like basketball anymore.

 

[Mexi]

Leave Paul alone lol

https://twitter.com/SLAMonline/status/859783356019494912

When i saw john wall at Disneyland i was so afraid to go up to him cause his group was very ghetto. Lol they were gnarly man. I bet no one messes with him when hes out in public

 

[Big Bid'Ness]

 
Andre Drummond’s stunning lack of self awareness

 
Andre Drummond started the interview right. “We dropped the ball and it starts with me.” It went downhill from there.
 
Chatting with MLive, Drummond, Detroit’s de facto team leader, talked about his recent surgery on his deviated septum that will improve his breathing and help his conditioning as the the Pistons look to rebound from disappointing 2016-17 season. It’s important not to over-analyze comments coming out of an interview, but Drummond’s take on his season were simply mind-boggling, and not a good sign for those hoping for serious self reflection and improvement.
 
His full statement:
Ok. In Drummond’s mind his role in the disappointing season was that he didn’t do a good enough job of getting his teammates ready to play? That’s not taking responsibility, and it’s not showing leadership. That’s throwing your teammates under the bus.
"We dropped the ball and it starts with me, too, as the leader of our team I needed to be better at getting my guys prepared for these games that we did lose," Drummond said Saturday, during the launch of his signature Halo Burger. "It was a tough year for all of us.
"We need to come back stronger and better than ever."
 
When asked about proving he’s among the elite NBA big men, he said:
Confidence is great and all, but Drummond was not an elite NBA big man this season.
 
"I never left," Drummond said. "Just because I might have had an off season, that doesn't make me a terrible player. It's a lot of guys that sit behind a desk all day and just talk.
 
"I'm not thinking about none of that stuff," Drummond said. "I'm here to play basketball. At the end of the day, I'm here to make my teammates better and myself better. They're going to get paid to write stories and I get paid to play basketball."
 
Though a dominant rebounder, Drummond was below average on both offense and defense. His poor free throw shooting combined with a high-volume, ineffective post game left him as one of the least efficient centers in the league on offense. On defense, meanwhile, only two centers had a worse defensive field goal percentage.
 
Drummond didn’t talk about the need to address any particular shortcoming in his game. Instead he waved away criticism and deluding himself about his own skill level.
 
It’s concerning for the Pistons moving forward as Drummond is on max contract for the next four seasons. The front office needs to determine whether he’s worth that salary as well as being positioned as the team’s franchise player. With his current performance, the answer is a resounding “no.” But does Drummond realize what he actually needs to do in order to improve?
 
When asked about criticism for his leadership, defensive intensity, and poor free throw shooting, he responded:
Drummond has had a pretty decent go of things with the Pistons. Through the first four seasons of his career, he’s largely gotten a free pass because of his youth, lack of expectations for the team and because there was always something more alarming to worry about (Stuckey, Rodney; Knight, Brandon; Villanueva, Charlie; Smith, Josh; Monroe, Greg). Sure, the free throw stuff probably gets annoying, but lots of great players stink at free throws.
 
"It's good to get away from all that nonsense and be around some kids," Drummond said. "At the end of the day, I'm not worried about what a grown man has to say about another grown man. I'm here to have some fun."
 
Unfortunately, through five NBA seasons Drummond has proven he’s not a great player. In fact, in those five seasons he’s shown marginal improvement in any phase of his game.
 
But his offensive efficiency and defense have been an issue for three straight seasons now, and this is the first time it’s been discussed much on a wider level. For him to shrug off the first real criticism of his career as “nonsense” isn’t a particularly mature response.
 
Drummond also said:
So while initially saying that responsibility for the disappointing year starts with him, Drummond defends his play based on accolades from the previous season. I. Can’t. Even.
 
"I didn't do that bad. I still was an All-Star, I still was All-NBA, I still made certain things work but this season was probably my toughest breathing year for me."
 
It’s not the first time Drummond’s comments have inspired some head scratching. Earlier in the season, Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer did an in-depth profile of Drummond where he said:
 
Even Tjarks called BS on Drummond’s comments, following the quote by writing “There’s a disconnect going on. For a player who says all of the right things when it comes to defense, there doesn’t seem to much of an application of them when he’s on the court.”
 
“I’m not worried about blocking shots. It’s more stopping [opponents] from getting shots up,” said Drummond. “I try to make people take tough shots and get a hand in their face. Keep guys out of the paint.”
 
Coming off a 37-45 season and potentially pushing up against the luxury tax if they choose to re-sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Stan Van Gundy has indicated that they’ll be taking a long look at the team as it’s currently constructed (hat tip to DBBer sje).
 
Drummond was already the subject of trade whispers at the trade deadline this season. If the front office doesn’t see improvement in store for Drummond, those whispers will start getting louder.
 
"There has to be some changes, and we've got to make as a staff some good evaluations on the guys who can and are willing to make some of those changes," Van Gundy said. "Who are the guys we're going to bet on to make improvements in their game? And who are the guys we can bet on as far as their professionalism and commitment out here on a night-to-night basis?
 
"Because we had too many some-of-the-time guys that we couldn't count on. And if we don't think those guys can change, well then they've got to be changed."

 

[Hurricane Season]

"It's good to get away from all that nonsense and be around some kids,"

 
 

 

[Teagz]

That Drummond contract is gonna bite the Pistons in the ass.

 

[Paulius]

Drummond is dwight 2.0


Team cancers with zero post moves

 

[CameronCrazy06]

Dwight team cancered all the way to the finals

 

[dez]

How old is Drummond? I mean dude still has maturing to do.. that article is just over analyzed imo

 

[Mexi]

Drummond is dwight 2.0
Team cancers with zero post moves

who gives a fuck about post moves

They just need him to defend and rebound and the points will come

He could easily be as good as gobert or deandre(better than dj)

 

[Paulius]

who gives a fuck about post moves

They just need him to defend and rebound and the points will come

He could easily be as good as gobert or deandre(better than dj)

If im paying a big man this much money, id expect him to have a go to move or two, especially if the offense is around him

Dj is trash
Gobert is decent

 

[Mexi]

Drummond is just immature

 

[CameronCrazy06]

who gives a fuck about post moves

They just need him to defend and rebound and the points will come

He could easily be as good as gobert or deandre(better than dj)

Your DJ hate is unreal

 

[Pugz]

drummond is still a kid mentally. no drive to be great, BUT he does has a post move or two. this year he just didnt show them as much.

 

[Mexi]

Your DJ hate is unreal

that moment you realize 3, 6, 32 will be retired

 

[CameronCrazy06]

Tayshaun prince is going to have his jersey retired one day. It's fine

 

[Pugz]

Tayshaun prince is going to have his jersey retired one day. It's fine

thats debatable

 

[Mexi]

The pistons are stupid

They retire 10 and let monroe wear it

They give stuckey 3 right when Ben leaves to chicago

They let drummond wear 1 when they should have retired it unofficially until Chauncey was retired

 

[Pugz]

The pistons are stupid

They retire 10 and let monroe wear it

They give stuckey 3 right when Ben leaves to chicago

They let drummond wear 1 when they should have retired it unofficially until Chauncey was retired

i hated all of that but rodman told greg to keep wearing it

 

[Mexi]

i hated all of that but rodman told greg to keep wearing it

should have never been given it if they were considering retiring it

They didnt just decide one day to retire 10.